December 28, 2010

As 2010 draws to a close, it's time to reflect on the past 12 months and the fashion moments that have defined a year in style. (via style.com)

From Tom Ford’s return to womenswear and Lanvin’s collection for H&M to Giles Deacon's appointment at Ungaro, this has been a year of newsworthy highs and tragic lows - Alexander McQueen died in February and Corinne Day passed away in August.

And then there are the year's most memorable events - Naomi Campbell's Fashion For Relief show, Fashion's Night Out, the first ever Fashion's Night In and Louis Vuitton's star-studded maison opening - not to mention Emma Watson's new pixie crop and Chanel's incredible iceberg at its autumn/winter 2010-11 show.

The Lowdown On Valentino's Incredible Roman Extravaganza

"Make it beautiful." That was all Valentino and Giancarlo Giammetti told Patrick Kinmonth and Antonio Monfreda when they hired them to design an exhibition marking 45 years of the designer's work. Everyone connected with the anniversary celebrations in Rome had clearly been given the same brief. The century is still young, but Valentino has set the party bar impossibly high with his 36-hour extravaganza.

There were four main way stations: Friday's exhibition opening at the Meier-designedAraPacisMuseum followed by a dinner at the Temple of Venus, then Saturday's presentation of Valentino's couture collection and a black-tie ball on the grounds of the Villa Borghese. So, plenty of opportunities for Val's gals to work their way through a wardrobe of his outfits. "Nothing looks old," a bedazzled Elizabeth Saltzman Walker declared, speaking for everyone at the Ara Pacis. To prove the point, Dr. Lisa Airan was wearing a dress from the archive that was designed 40 years ago but could have been from Saturday's show. "Valentino made one of my wedding dresses," Astrid Muñoz said cryptically. "It was red."

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Italy's most famous designer duo, celebrated a quarter-century of collaboration at Milan Fashion Week.

Their 50th Dolce & Gabbana collection was a romantic and poetic salute to their heritage of clothes for the sensual woman, both dressed and undressed.

The show was staged in the old Metropole Theatre, where Maria Callas once sang, which is now a Dolce & Gabbana headquarters.

A total of 75 models, wearing variations on tailored black jackets over black satin and lace corsetry, formed a dramatic visual encapsulation of the brand's tradition, walking against a backdrop of black-and-white footage of the work done in the studio to bring the collection to fruition.

The collection was as much a romantic homage to the duo's strong feminine ideal, as it was about a shared, enduring passion for designing beautiful clothes.

Called 'Sartorialita, Sicilianita, Sensualita', the collection, for next autumn/winter, revisited the brand's signatures of tailoring, corsetry, leopard and rose-print, and the age-old black garb of the Sicilian woman, updated in knits, lightweight silks and stretch fabrics.

The news that Alexander McQueen has killed himself is particularly devastating because it always felt to me like he’d be the last man standing. He was restless, but so pragmatic with it I assumed he had what it took to endure the extreme situations he placed himself in. He was also an arch romantic with a pessimistic streak. It produced some of the most beautiful, shocking images in the history of fashion, but it’s a state of mind that can lead to endless disappointments. The death of McQueen’s mother last week would have validated his pessimism. It would undoubtedly have taken away his most vital support. It’s awful to imagine him trying—and failing—to cope, and one can only hope that, if he was looking for peace, he found it. For everyone left behind, there will eventually be consolation, however scant right now, in a body of work whose power will never die.

Usually, you wouldn’t want to see this much skin at a 90th birthday party. But when it’s a 90th birthday party for Paris Vogue, all bets are off. Carine Roitfeld and her Gallic crew threw a bal masqué in Paris last night, and though the faces were obscured, not much else was. Sheer—which has been all over the Spring runways—was the look of the night. The charge was led by the hostess, in a see-through, leopard-spotted Givenchy number, and her heiress apparent, daughter Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, in a gold-embellished sheer number from Peter Dundas’ Spring ‘11 Pucci runway. Natalia Vodianova, Mariacarla Boscono, Lily Donaldson, and Bianca Brandolini d’Adda were also feeling the transparent vibe. (Some, like Maryna Linchuk, above, went for sheer masks, too.)

Over 1,200 guests descended on Rome's Palazzo delle Esposizioni last night for an exclusive preview of Bulgari's 125th anniversary retrospective. "I want a snake bracelet from 1972 all in gold," said Ginnifer Goodwin as she admired a roomful of the Italian jeweler's signature Tubogas serpents, including Diana Vreeland's to-die-for belt. Chloe Sevigny also counts herself a fan of Bulgari's seventies and eighties creations. "I've worn so many pieces in this exhibition," she told us. Lucky girl, but perhaps not quite as fortunate as Elizabeth Taylor. The jewels that the legendary actress loaned from her personal collection were arrayed in a room of their own with Richard Burton's famous quote decorating one wall: "I introduced her to beer and she introduced me to Bulgari." When in Rome…

Alexander McQueen’s Last Collection – A week after McQueen’s death, PPR - the company that owns the Alexander McQueen brand – confirmed that the collection that the designer had been working on would be shown during Paris Fashion Week, at an invitation only private salon presentation. The following month, a select group of editors gathered at the PPR headquarters to see a moving tribute to McQueen’s great talent. To the backdrop of classical music and gilt-edged mirrors, 15 exquisite looks, inspired by religious iconography, were shown in a moment of profound poignancy.

Fashion’s Night In – After the phenomenal success of Fashion’s Night Out, this November VOGUE.COM brought all the fun inside and online for the first ever Fashion’s Night In. From exclusive product launches and one-off designer collaborations to competitions and live fashion advice, it was one big online fashion party. And all for a good cause too – a portion of the night’s sales was donated to the children’s charity KidsCo.

Fashion For Relief – Naomi Campbell staged her Fashion For Relief catwalk show at Somerset House just a few days after Alexander McQueen's death. In tribute to the designer, Kate Moss and McQueen’s muse Annabelle Neilson took to the catwalk with Naomi in pieces from his last collection.

Fashion Kisses – After the moving catwalk tribute paid to McQueen’s memory by Naomi, Kate and Annabelle, the mood was lifted when comedians David Walliams (who was engaged to Vogue cover girl Lara Stone at the time and - married her in May), and James Corden camped it up spectacularly down the catwalk before snogging for the cameras.

Fashion’s Night Out –The international, global celebration of fashion and shopping was back again for 2010 and even more fun than last year - with Bugsy Malone-themed dance lessons in Rupert Sanderson, cookery lessons in Browns, customising classes at Harvey Nicks (from Erdem, Christopher Kane and Jonathan Saunders), make-up lessons in Chanel and live music in the windows of Matthew Williamson and Burberry.

Lanvin for H&M – In September, after much speculation about which label would be the next to collaborate with H&M, it was announced that Lanvin would be joining forces with the high street brand for a collection. “What intrigued me was the idea of H&M going luxury rather than Lanvin going public,” said Lanvin creative director Alber Elbaz of the collaboration.

Riccardo Tisci Autumn/Winter 2010-11 Couture Show for Givenchy – Presented in the 18th Century Hotel D’Evreaux – which was given to Madame de Pompadour by King Louis XV- the fashion world was left abuzz after Tisci’s small but perfectly formed couture show, which was based on the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration and Frida Kahlo’s three great passions: religion, anatomy and sensuality. “What’s amazing with his couture is that he manages to make it modern while infusing it with all the gravitas and impact of couture and you really get to see the detail of it,” said Vogue’s fashion director Kate Phelan.

The Burberry Front Row – Since Burberry returned to show in London for the 25th anniversary celebrations of London Fashion Week in September 2009, the brand’s front row has consistently been one of the week’s starriest. The spring/summer 2011 show was no exception - Sarah Jessica Parker, Alexa Chung, Andy Murray, Serena Williams, Cat Deeley and Mario Testino were among the famous faces gathered to see Christopher Bailey’s spring collection.

The Death of Corinne Day – After a long struggle with brain cancer, fashion photographer Corinne Day passed away on August 27. Her lens had captured some of the most iconic images and famous faces - including Kate Moss - of the past two decades and her talent was charted across the pages and covers of Vogue.

Tom Ford’s Return to Womenswear – Tom Ford made a triumphant return to womenswear in New York during Fashion Week for spring/summer 2011. After dedicating the last six years since leaving Gucci to designing menswear and movie making, Ford acted as master of ceremonies at his Madison Avenue store, where he introduced his collection - which was modelled by Daphne Guinness, Beyoncé, Stella Tennant, Julianne Moore, Marisa Berenson and Lauren Hutton - to a super exclusive gathering of editors and buyers.

December 25, 2010

Taylor Reeve, the graphic artist behind ‘Taylor Says,’ hand paints her brand of street art on all kinds of canvases. Known for her unique style, her hidden pop art stilettos boasts one-of-a-kind artwork on the insoles. Fun and funky, these hidden pop art stilettos certainly put the killer in super spiked heels!

This Long Beach, California-based graphic artist also designs for action sports product companies as well as the custom bike builder, Jesse Rooke. Her sojourn into ultra feminine footwear certainly proves her design style has fans from both genders.(via trendhunter.com)

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